Finley delivered Friday night, hitting an off-balance 22-foot jumper as time expired to lift the Mavericks to a 79-77 victory over the San Antonio Spurs.

''He can make a shot out of nothing,'' Mavericks guard Steve Nash said. ''We're always confident he can get a good look.''

San Antonio's Avery Johnson had tied the game at 77 with a 3-pointer from the right corner with 4.1 seconds left.

Finley, who finished with 20 points, took Greg Buckner's inbound pass, dribbled to his left and launched a fallaway jumper over Sean Elliott with just over a second left. The shot swished as the final buzzer sounded, and Finley was mobbed by his teammates.

''It's a play we work on quite a bit in practice,'' said Finley. ''Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't. The ball felt good when it left my hands. Luckily, it went in.''

Playing with a bruised left shoulder, Dirk Nowitzki added 18 points and 10 rebounds for the Mavericks, who wanted to put on a good show for free agent forward Joe Smith. Dallas owner Mark Cuban spent the afternoon trying to convince Smith to sign with the Mavericks.

Smith and his agent, Dan Fegan, sat beside Cuban in baseline seats. Smith visited the Mavericks locker room before the game and at halftime.

The Reunion Arena public address announcer introduced Smith to the crowd, and Smith smiled as he was cheered when his image was shown on the arena's big screen.

Fegan has said Dallas, Chicago, Atlanta, Miami and the New York Knicks are all in the running for Smith.

Cuban said he wanted Smith to come to Dallas to see the city and meet with the players.

''I didn't want to put on the hard sell,'' said Cuban. ''Joe wanted to see what Dallas is all about. We just want to let him know we want him to be here.''

Finley said the players were receptive to Smith.

''What more could you ask for?'' said Finley. ''A packed house, we win at the buzzer, that's the best selling you can do. We'd love to get him.''

Derek Anderson had 17 points to pace the Spurs, who were coming off a victory over the Los Angeles Lakers on Wednesday night. Tim Duncan had 11 points and 14 rebounds, despite a third-quarter head injury.

Sean Elliott and Johnson added 11 points each for the Spurs, and David Robinson finished with nine points and 14 rebounds.

Finley's 20-foot jumper with 36.9 seconds left gave Dallas a 76-74 lead. The Mavericks' Greg Buckner made one of two free throws with 18.8 seconds remaining, then Johnson tied it to set up Finley's heroics.

''Both teams were in a position where one shot was going to do it for somebody, and Finley hit a heck of a shot,'' said Spurs coach Gregg Popovich. ''It was just one of those miracle shots. Sean Elliott had it guarded real well.''

Dallas led 73-67 with 5:05 remaining. But San Antonio went on a 7-0 run, capped by Robinson's layup with 1:24 left, and took a 74-73 lead.

Duncan left the game with 3:10 left in the third quarter bleeding from a cut to the head.

Duncan struck his head on the court as he wrestled for a loose ball with Finley. Duncan was on the floor for about a minute, then got to his feet and walked to the bench without assistance. Duncan pressed a towel to his head to cover a small cut.

Duncan returned to the game to start the fourth quarter wearing a large bandage on his head. After the game, he said he was fine.

Dallas took a 61-56 lead into the fourth quarter.

The Mavericks held a 40-35 halftime lead, taking advantage of the Spurs' 34 percent (14 for 41) first-half shooting. Dallas wasn't much better, hitting only 36 percent (18 for 50).

Notes: Nowitzki, listed as doubtful due to a strained left shoulder, was in the starting lineup. ... Shawn Bradley had a season-high eight blocked shots for Dallas. ... Buckner came off the bench after missing three straight games due to a sprained right foot. Buckner was limping in the fourth quarter ... Mavericks rookie Courtney Alexander made his first career start. ... The Spurs got off to a 14-5 start, but the Mavericks answered with a 16-2 run. ... The Mavericks rebounded from a 27-point loss to Vancouver two nights earlier.